On the occasion of the 17th BRICS Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Zhao Changlu, Secretary of the Party Committee of Beihang University, led a delegation on a working visit to Brazil and Turkey from July 3 to 8.

During the visit, the delegation attended the "China-Brazil Collaboration for a Shared Future: Launch Ceremony for Cooperation in Scientific and Technological Innovation and Mutual Learning of Civilizations," visited and conducted research at partner universities, organized academic exchanges, and signed multiple cooperation agreements. The Beihang Innovation Institute in Brazil (BIIB), the university's first overseas research institution, and the Confucius Institute officially opened at the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ).

The launch ceremony on July 5 brought together nearly 300 experts and scholars from China and Brazil, including UFRJ President Roberto Medronho, Renmin University of China (RUC) Party Secretary Zhang Donggang, and representatives from the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG) and the China Three Gorges (CTG) Brazil.

Zhao Changlu and Roberto Medronho, Rector of UFRJ, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the joint establishment of BIIB. The attendees unveiled plaques for the Confucius Institute, the BIIB, and the China-Brazil Research Center for Mutual Learning of Civilizations.

In a congratulatory letter, Chinese Ambassador to Brazil Zhu Qingqiao highlighted the initiatives as milestones in the "golden era" of China-Brazil relations, emphasizing their role in advancing collaboration in technology, education, and cultural exchange. He noted that the China-Brazil cooperation will provide an important platform for promoting youth exchanges, educational cooperation, and mutual learning among civilizations between China and Brazil.

Yu Yunfeng, Director of the Center for Language Education and Cooperation at China's Ministry of Education, stated in his congratulatory letter that Beihang University and UFRJ, as leading universities in China and Brazil, will undoubtedly guarantee the high quality of the Confucius Institute through their collaboration, contributing to promoting mutual learning and understanding among civilizations between China and Latin America.

In his speech, Zhao Changlu said that Beihang University has always actively promoted international cooperation and jointly established the Confucius Institute, BIIB and Beihang Brazil Center with UFRJ. The holding of the First Forum on Interdisciplinary Science and Technology of BIIB marks the cooperation of the both sides has entered into a substantive phase, which is a concrete manifestation of the in-depth implementation of the overall strategies of the two countries.

In his welcome remarks, Roberto Medronho emphasized Beihang University's significance as a strategic partner, expressing his expectation that BIIB would serve as a hub for top Chinese and Brazilian scholars to advance bilateral technological innovation cooperation.

Zhang Donggang described the center as both a new landmark for educational cooperation and a powerful engine for civilizational exchange.

At the ceremony, Beihang University signed MOUs with RUC and CTG Brazil respectively on the cooperation regarding the BIIB, and signed a cooperation agreement on the joint establishment of the "China-Brazil Research Center for Mutual Learning of Civilizations" with RUC, UFRJ, and UFMG.

As part of the launch activities for the BIIB, Beihang University organized two academic events at UFRJ and the Universidade de São Paulo (USP) to promote scientific research cooperation and exchanges. The First Forum on Interdisciplinary Science and Technology of BIIB gathered nearly 100 experts from prominent Brazilian research institutions and Chinese enterprises, who engaged in in-depth discussions on aerospace, mathematical and physical sciences, and information technology. Concurrently, the Beihang-USP Forum on Green Energy was held at the Greenhouse Gas Innovation Research Center of the USP, with more than 30 experts exchanging insights on green energy, civil aviation, and mathematical and physical sciences.

During the visit, Zhao Changlu also held cooperation talks with Brazilian partner universities and signed multiple cooperation agreements. At the USP, Zhao Changlu and Brazilian Academy of Sciences member Julio Romano Meneghini jointly inaugurated the Beihang-USP Green Aviation Laboratory, accompanied by the signing of cooperation agreements for both the laboratory and the BIIB. The delegation also visited USP's Greenhouse Gas Innovation Research Center and South America's first ethanol-to-hydrogen refueling station. Subsequent meetings at the UFRJ with President Roberto Medronho further solidified bilateral cooperation.

The delegation also visited Boğaziçi Üniversitesi in Turkey, where Zhao Changlu and Rector Mehmet Naci Inci signed an institutional cooperation memorandum. Both leaders emphasized establishing long-term collaboration mechanisms to integrate innovation resources across education, research, and talent development. The delegation toured Boğaziçi's technology park, including its analytical testing center, biomedical engineering lab, and seismic monitoring facilities, laying groundwork for joint research initiatives.

The successive unveiling and establishment of the BIIB, the Confucius Institute, and the Beihang Brazil Center will systematically synergize the advantageous resources of China and Brazil through an open, integrated, and shared innovation organizational model, and comprehensively deepen Beihang University's cooperation with Brazil.

Editor: Liu Tingting